Democratic convention events getting Chicago treatment with new hospitality vendors

If planning a party for friends or family seems like a lot of work, imagine throwing a bash for more than 10,000 guests.

Five event production companies, nearly all based in Chicago, will do just that this summer: plan the huge official parties for the Democratic National Convention, taking place Aug. 19-22.

Last month, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) and the Chicago 2024 host committee announced that it selected the hospitality vendors to produce events welcoming convention attendees and other festivities.

The firms are: Juan and Only, elemento L2, All Terrain Collective, Revel Global Events and 5423 Productions. The companies are run by either women or minorities, some both.

“Too often, firms like ours are overlooked for large-scale events like this,” says Juan Teague, founder and owner of Juan and Only, a certified minority- and woman-owned enterprise. “We are fired up and ready to show the nation what Chicago’s small business community can do.”

About 50,000 visitors, including 20,000 media and 5,500 delegates as well as other guests, are expected to attend the DNC convention, according to the host committee. The convention will take place at McCormick Place during the day with evening events at the United Center.

Juan and Only, based in Woodlawn, is partnering with marketing firms elemento L2 in the Loop and All Terrain in Humboldt Park to start planning opening receptions for 10,000 to 15,000 people, including delegates and media. The three firms received their contract together.

South Loop event planner Revel Global is working with 5423 Productions, based in Monee, to throw an appreciation party for some 12,000 volunteers after the convention ends.

The convention is expected to create $150 million to $200 million of direct economic impact for Chicago, says Natalie Edelstein, communications director for the Chicago 2024 host committee. That includes everything from construction at conference sites to hotel stays and restaurant spending. The committee expects to raise $80 million to $100 million to organize the entire convention, added Edelstein.

The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a virtual production because of COVID-19. But the 2016 DNC convention in Philadelphia generated $230.9 million for the region, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, $120 million less than what the DNC committee and city had estimated. Diversity and inclusion were also important themes of the Philadelphia event.

For this year, the DNC’s official welcoming and appreciation parties will take place offsite, with locations still being determined by the five hospitality vendors. In 1996, the last time Chicago hosted the DNC convention, the opening reception was at Navy Pier.

The contractors will oversee everything from choosing venues, catering, decorations, event materials and overall event management. They will work with subcontractors on everything from sound, lighting, staging, entertainment, food and beverage, merchandise and more.

In the coming weeks, the host committee expects to release a request for proposals for hospitality subcontracts. The five main event planning companies will oversee subcontracts with input from the host committee and the DNCC, Edelstein says.

She declined to comment on how much the hospitality contracts with the five vendors were worth.

Representing Chicago’s diversity

The host committee released a request for proposals in December for hospitality vendors and held an online info session.

Selection was made considering many criteria, including a firm’s experience, ability to perform services, incorporation of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods into programming, cost of services, relationships to Chicago, Illinois and the surrounding region. But the DNC prioritized highlighting the diversity of Chicago.

Inclusion of minorities, women, persons with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ+ owners and workforce was also a factor when considering proposals, Edelstein said.

In addition to the official DNC parties, Chicago will host hundreds of other receptions and events organized by state and territorial delegations, politicians, donors, interest groups and other attendees.

At the 1996 convention, independent receptions were held at Chicago’s big hotels as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Field Museum, Chicago Cultural Center and other venues.

Choose Chicago, the city’s tourism marketing agency, said beyond its direct economic impact, the DNC convention will create plenty of free publicity for the city as a leisure and business meetings destination.

Teague, of Juan and Only, says it’s especially true for Chicago’s event planning companies, which will have a chance to showcase their work. She says it’s an “opportunity to change the trajectory of Chicago business. We are dealing with the world, not just Chicago.”

Teague founded the company in 2009. It has 10 employees but staffs up for events, hiring as many as 300 temporary workers during festival season. The firm has produced events attended by 30,000 people and smaller ones for 100 guests.

Last year, the company worked with NASCAR to stage Bubba’s Block Party with NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. The event featured musical performances, including Chicago-born rapper Lupe Fiasco, live pit stops, NASCAR iRacing simulators and food trucks.

Juan and Only also organized a concert last year at music festival Lollapalooza that spotlighted Chicago artists and was sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Next step is subcontractors

The events teams are still in the early stages of brainstorming about the parties. But Juan and Only aims to showcase “Chicago’s rich history and cultural diversity,” says Teague, who was born and raised in Austin.

Meanwhile, Juan and Only’s partners complement the firm’s experience. Elemento L2 and principal Ivan Lopez know Latino culture, said Teague. The company has worked with clients such as Target, Disney and Jack Daniel’s.

“Our partnership allows us each to tap into our extensive networks in Chicago and the Midwest,” elemento L2 wrote. “As locally based enterprises, we all bring a wealth of knowledge about our city and its residents.”

All Terrain, founded by Brook Jay in 1998, has expertise in experiential marketing that is more interactive. The firm has worked with brands such as Nike, Ferrari, Chipotle, H&M and Kellogg’s.

For Nike, it threw a block party ahead of the Chicago Marathon with music, food, appearances by elite runners and runner services. For liquor giant Diageo, All Terrain worked on the social media and brand launch of its Guinness Open Gateway Brewery in Fulton Market, which is Guinness’ second U.S. taproom.

The firms in charge of the volunteer appreciation party are Revel Group, an LGBTQ-owned enterprise that has worked with universities, nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies, as well as 5423 Productions, a boutique, women and Black-owned event production company.

Revel Group declined to comment. 5423 Productions did not return a request for comment.

The host committee and the Democratic National Convention Committee are continuing to announce other contractors. In April, it selected two Chicago-based firms, Bright Beat and Purpose, to implement sustainability practices during the four-day convention.

Earlier this year, they announced contractors for construction manager, event architect and manager and exposition services. Show Strategy, based in West Loop and headed by Glenn Charles Jr., became the first Black-owned firm to win the DNC convention’s expositions services contract.